In a report to go to the General Council Meeting next Monday, council has recommended the request by Edel Quinn that a $1230 charge for ten bins catering to the residents of the shelter be waived should be rejected.

Bonnie Jackson-French who runs the shelter said she wrote to council asking for the small bit of financial relief as the shelter faces increasingly low finances and high demand, both worsened by the Covid lockdown.

"The request I sent through explained that we're one of the only refuges available for males over 18 for quite distance geographically and we're doing what we can to help the community and help people in this tough situation especially currently," Ms Jackson-French explained. "So I'm asking if [council] can help us out because we're doing the best we can to help out everyone in the community, that was my line of thinking."

She said the past year of the pandemic has seen funding drop while demand rises for the Saint Vincent de Paul shelter's services.

"Obviously economic problems are hitting hard for everyone at the moment and that has seen reductions in donations and stuff for Edel Quinn," she said. "We're having a hard time financially and we pay over 1200 per year for our bins, so I'm looking for any way to save money for the service."

Since coronavirus first hit in March last year, there has been a well-documented spike in homelessness and housing shortages, with Edel Quinn one of a handful of shelters catering to the populations in need.

In a report to council members, staff recommended the $123 charge per bin for the Edel Quinn shelter remain in place.

In the same report a request for a waiver of an outstanding lease fee for the Wagga Rescue Squad's buildings was approved with funds to cover the cost to come from unallocated budget funds.

A council spokesperson explained that while the Rescue Squad lease fee would be a loss of revenue for council, Edel Quinn's request would create outgoing costs.

"Fee waivers approved in the past always exclude direct costs for which Council is responsible," they said.

"The Edel Quinn request would result in Council not receiving the kerbside waste income, however, Council would still be required to pay the contractor to collect the bins."

Councillors will vote on the funding recommendations on Monday evening.

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